


Day Three Hundred Ten || Ethnic Food

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [310]
Category: Naruto, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 08:19:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21407095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: This is her last night as a free woman. Might as well go out for a nice meal, first.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [310]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Kudos: 20





	Day Three Hundred Ten || Ethnic Food

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a sequel to days 35, 44, 52, 80, 82, 105, 115, 133, 159, 162, 188, 193, 289, 298, and 307!)

Well...today’s the day. While she knows, in truth, there’s no avoiding what she’s about to do...Hinata still takes a sliver of comfort in knowing that she can, at least, make peace with it.

The last several months have been the oddest of her life. Being saved from one vampire by another, befriending said savior vampire, and slowly finding herself more and more familiar with a world so few know exist.

Of course...Hinata has known about monsters - or as they prefer to be called, Nightwalkers - for most of her life. Her mother’s bloodline, tracing all the way back to the ancient miko who claimed to speak to gods, makes her neither human nor monster. A strange in-between that most nowadays call witches.

Try as she might to ignore her lineage, ignore her nature...it came to find her in the end.

And now, her rare, thought-extinct powers have attracted unwanted attention in the form of her dear friend’s employer and coven leader, Madara. He’s made her a deal she can’t refuse. Not because the reward is tempting...but because to say no is almost certainly a death wish.

She tells herself that, so long as she has Sasuke to rely on, she can get through this. While she’s a complete novice with her abilities, Madara seems convinced they can grow, and she can master them...all for him to use against his enemies.

So, given she has little choice, Hinata has decided to give her answer: she’ll work for him as needed. Otherwise...she just hopes she can keep some semblance of normalcy.

Which is why, once she’s made her peace, she texts Sasuke.

_Want to get some dinner?_

Hopefully it sounds casual enough. Because according to Madara, Sasuke’s protective inclinations toward her have been born out of a growing affection. And while Hinata cares for him greatly...she just has too much on her mind to sit and puzzle out her feelings. She’s never really dated anyone...never really been in love. Had crushes, but was never bold enough to act upon them.

...and is it wise to pair with a Nightwalker, given what she is? She’s not human...but she’s not vampire, either.

...she’ll think about it later.

Thankfully, his reply is swift...and cuts right to the point.

_Made up your mind?_

The words earn a small smile and a soft snort.

_Yes. Not that there was much to think about, huh?_

_...true enough. The usual place?_

_Mhm._

_Be there in ten._

Reading the last message, Hinata idly runs the pad of her thumb over the cracks in her mobile’s screen. She really needs to replace it...just her luck she was grabbed when it was in her hand, dropped to the parking lot asphalt. But at least it still works...she’ll put it off a little longer.

Mind still eddying with thoughts, Hinata makes her way to their typical meeting place: her favorite little eatery she discovered while going to university. It’s more traditional in style, quaint, and just what she likes.

And, as usual, Sasuke beats her there.

“Car or feet this time?” she asks with a small smile.

“Feet. Couldn’t find my keys.”

“Showoff,” Hinata gently chides, letting him open the door for her. “But at least you’re still a gentleman.”

“Only for you. To everyone else, I’m an asshole.”

“C-consider me flattered, then.”

“You should be.”

That earns another laugh, the pair of them guided to a cozy corner table. Sitting with a relieved sigh, Hinata takes a moment to glance out the window beside her. The night life of her city plays out beyond the panes, all seeming so...normal. It’s funny how much her perspective has changed since she met the man now sitting across from her. How much more..._aware_ she feels. She knows she still has much to learn when it comes to those like her companion...but to think that so many people are completely blind to a world just over their shoulder...it’s odd.

“Hinata?”

“Hm?”

“You spaced out there for a second.”

“Oh...s-sorry.”

Sasuke studies her face, dark eyes flickering over her features. “...you all right?”

“Mhm. I’ve just been doing a lot of...thinking lately.”

“Good thinking, or bad thinking?”

“Just...thinking. Not really good _or_ bad.”

“Objective, then.”

“...yeah.”

“Speaking of...I’m honestly blown away by how well you’re handling all of this, y’know.”

That earns a blink. “...really?”

“Yeah. Sure, you’re not human...and you’ve been _aware_ of us most of your life. But that’s not exactly a guarantee for understanding or keeping calm in the face of everything you’ve got going on.”

“...I guess I just...d-do my best to look and move forward. I don’t know...maybe it _is_ weird, but I just feel...calm. I know there’s danger, but...for some reason, it doesn’t bother me.”

His brow furrows, clearly not quite comprehending.

Hinata takes a moment to think, trying to figure out a way to explain. “...I think...it’s because I know I’m not facing it alone. Because I know you’re there to protect me.”

Sasuke’s face goes slack with surprise.

In turn, she gives a small smile. “...hungry?”

“...uh...yeah, sure. This place only got traditional food, or is there anything, like...ethnic?”

“M-mostly traditional…? I always get the same thing, so...I guess I’m n-not the one to ask,” she replies with a small laugh into the cuff of her jacket sleeve. “Though...n-now that you mention it, that reminds me of a question I’ve always meant to ask you.”

“...okay. What held you back?”

“Mostly I just forget, but...I guess I’m not sure if it’s, um...offensive…?”

Sasuke can’t help a snort. “Trust me...I doubt anything that passes through your mind could offend me. Hit me with it.”

“Well...your kind need blood to survive...right?”

“Yeah. It varies a bit from person to person, but typically we can’t go more than about three days without before we start getting...dangerous. We usually try to get about half a liter a day, but some skip around, depending on their schedule.”

“...oh! I...didn’t know it was that strict.”

“Mhm. So, was that your question?”

“Well, partly. I’ve obviously seen you eat food, but...is that n-necessary for...someone like you?”

“What, regular food? Oh, yeah. See, uh…” He hesitates, gathering his thoughts. “The ‘needs’ of Nightwalkers are typically sort of...additional beyond the typical. Like...fiction often depicts us as undead, but that’s nowhere near true. I have a heartbeat, my blood pumps, my gut functions...I still need food, water, rest, and all that like anything else alive. I just need blood _on top of that_ to satisfy and sort of..._alleviate_ what makes me a...what I am.”

“Ohhh…”

“...you thought that would offend me?”

“W-well, I just...I honestly thought you...didn’t need to eat,” Hinata replies, tone quite sheepish. “And I don’t like making assumptions about people, let alone an entirely different..._type_ of people. S-sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Some species have it a lot easier than others. For example, most bestial lines - like...harpies, werewolves, nagas - they don’t really have a _need_ like we do? There’s is more like...an instinct. You could, in a way, think of their brains as having two halves. A more human-like half, and the animal half. And suppressing the animal half for too long can make them...irritable. Or even affect their mental health. _Some_ have mastered it and live almost completely like humans. But for most, they have to have breaks where they take their beast forms and live a little. Otherwise they’d go mad.

“But with the humanoid sorts, ours are usually more...conditional. Typically, it’s something that feeds off of another creature. My kind need blood - any kind will do, but humans are just the...best suited? It’s hard to explain. And like succubi and incubi need sexual energy. Sirens crave giving people pain, or even killing them...but most are satisfied just by being heard and adored. Stuff like that.”

At the mention of the middle sort, Hinata can’t help but go light pink. “I...I see. Do...do witches have any conditions like that?”

“Not that I know of, but...with how rare your kind became there for a while, a lot of information about you has probably been lost. Have you ever felt like there’s something nagging at you? Something you need to...do, or eat, or...whatever?”

“I don’t...think so.”

Sasuke leans his elbow atop the table, considering her as he rests his chin in a hand. “...it’s funny, but...no one really knows the origins of those like us. Nightwalkers, and witches - _Twilightwalkers_. Some say we evolved from humans, others say we’re cursed, but no one really knows for sure where we came from. But your kind seem to be a kind of...middle ground between us and humans. The way I’ve heard it put is that Nightwalkers are those with power to alter _themselves_...and witches have the power to alter what’s _around_ them. Humans can do neither, at least...not the way we can.”

“That...makes a lot of sense. But I wonder if there’s any way to find out where our roots r-really lie.”

“No idea. But that’s more the sort of stuff my brother likes to puzzle over. I’m more of an ‘in the now’ sort of guy. My roots don’t really offer much in terms of effects here and now for me. Might be neat to know, but it doesn’t really _do_ anything for me.”

“I think I’d like to know,” Hinata muses. “I already know s-so little about what I am...maybe it would shed some light. But I guess I don’t have much means to find out.”

“Yeah...we’ll get you figured out. Soon enough you’ll be the strongest witch in Japan.”

“I might be the _only_ witch in Japan,” Hinata rebukes with a giggle.

“...you have a fair point. But still...you’ve clearly got talent, given how you managed to influence me, even with _no_ training and in a state of panic. That’s promising.”

“I’ll t-take that as a compliment!”

Sasuke manages a grin as a server finally finds them, apologizing for the wait. “No worries. We’re night folk,” he assures her smoothly, giving Hinata a none-too-subtle wink.

She just snorts.

“Well...we’ll get you a full stomach, and then go have a little chat with Madara,” Sasuke then offers, sobering them both slightly. “There might be some paperwork to get you _legally_ tied into everything, but...overall we shouldn’t have to be there long. Unless he decides to ramble on about what you’ll be doing. Hopefully he’ll save that for another night.”

“Yeah, I’d...prefer that, honestly.” She’d almost let herself forget why she’s really here. One last little outing with her full freedom before finding herself in Madara’s claws.

“...it’ll be fine,” Sasuke then assures her softly. “Like you said: I’ll be there to protect you.”

“...thank you, Sasuke.”

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, let me just apologize for falling yet another day behind: yesterday was super stressful, so I took my typical evening time to work on another fic. By the time that was done, I was in a lot of pain from my broken teeth, and just...called it a night. And odds are, the rest of the year is going to be VERY busy for me, so...I might very well fall further behind rather than catch up, though I REALLY hope I can do so before next year. But I won't hold my breath. Once things are more...finalized, I'll clue you guys in more. Just...please be patient with me, I'm doing my best ;w;
> 
> ANYWAY. Onto the actual fic!
> 
> This was a very...odd prompt, lol - hence it mostly just being a passing phrase, which I sometimes just...have to do when the prompt is weird xD I had a joke I was going to have Sasuke make to tie into it, but...upon further thought, I wasn't sure if it would be too crass, so...I tossed the idea. Instead, we have just some angst-laced fluff between them on Hinata's last day (well...night) of freedom. Things are going to get...interesting from here on. 
> 
> I might tie in some old RP plots, and honestly might save more of this verse for a proper fic...? I'm not sure how I want to do that, as it might make more sense to do a "rewrite" from the beginning, since this method has been a bit...disjointed. We'll see. But as I've said before. any longer fics I want to do after this challenge will be after a pretty hefty break. I love this challenge, but WHOO has it been a burnout, lol - at least there's less than two months left. I love it, but...I need a break. Especially since Life is ramping up as we near the end.
> 
> ANYWAY, I'm...majorly rambling, so I'll stop there! Thanks, as always, for reading...and all of your support and patience <3


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